sugeco
SUGECO is a Tanzanian member-owned cooperative founded in 2011 at Sokoine University of Agriculture, offering training, incubation, and agribusiness support services to youth, women farmers, and smallholders across more than 12 regions through its Kizimba Business Model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersMorogoro, Tanzania
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What sugeco does
SUGECO (Sokoine University Graduate Entrepreneurs Cooperative) is a Tanzanian registered cooperative founded in July 2011 by students and academic staff from the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro. The cooperative engages youth (ages 18-35), women farmers, smallholders, agricultural cooperatives (AMCOS), and out-of-school youth across Tanzania, offering an integrated suite of services: capacity building and training, an international internship program (Israel, USA, Denmark, Sweden), business incubation, the proprietary Kizimba Business Model (KBM), Solar Dryer Technology for value-added processing of biofortified crops, farm management and consultancy, action research, policy advocacy, and access to land and facilities including a 262-acre Mkongo Agricultural Youth Camp in Rufiji.
The underlying technology centers on the Kizimba Business Model, an integrated agribusiness framework launched in 2021 that combines farmland access, extension services, agricultural inputs, climate-smart technologies (drip irrigation capable of up to 60% water savings), and assured market linkages for high-value crops including sweet melon, Habanero chilli, bitter gourd, and cucumbers. Solar Dryer Technology enables processing of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP), pro-vitamin A maize, and high iron-zinc beans, with production sites certified by the Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA).
SUGECO operates as a hybrid cooperative with a primarily community-led and event-driven go-to-market approach. Revenue mechanics combine membership subscription fees, donor-funded training and capacity-building services (grants from Gates Foundation, MasterCard Foundation, AGRA, FAO, UNDP, USAID, Swisscontact, and others), produce sales and service fees, and incubation program fees. Major 2024 programmatic funding includes the Gates Foundation-backed KIZIMBA 2025 project ($349,528), the MasterCard Foundation YEFFA project (~$400,000 over 36 months), and the CRDB Foundation Imbeju program (€24 million over three years). SUGECO reaches more than 12 Tanzanian regions through its Morogoro headquarters, Mbeya satellite office, demonstration farms, university partnerships, and a network of more than 20 institutional partners.
sugeco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- sugeco
- Legal name
- Sokoine University Graduate Entrepreneurs Cooperative
- Website
- https://sugeco.or.tz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SUGECO is a Tanzanian member-owned cooperative founded in 2011 at Sokoine University of Agriculture, offering training, incubation, and agribusiness support services to youth, women farmers, and smallholders across more than 12 regions through its Kizimba Business Model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where sugeco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Morogoro
- HQ country
- Tanzania
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
sugeco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Revenue generated from cooperative membership fees paid by youth and graduates joining SUGECO. Members receive access to training, incubation services, land facilities, and market linkages.
- Training and Capacity Building Services: SUGECO provides agricultural training programs funded by development partners including FAO, UNDP, USAID, Swisscontact, and others. Revenue comes from service fees and in-kind contributions.
- Produce Sales and Service Fees: Revenue from sale of agricultural produce and service fees as part of SUGECO's operational contributions to projects. Land, facilities, and technical expertise are provided as in-kind contributions.
- Incubation Program Services: Business incubation services provided to youth entrepreneurs including workspace, equipment (electricity, blenders, freezers), mentorship, coaching, and market linkage support.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
sugeco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SUGECO is a registered cooperative offering an integrated portfolio of agribusiness development services for youth, graduates, and smallholder farmers in Tanzania. Its core offerings include capacity building and training, an international internship program (Israel, USA, Denmark), a business incubation program, and the proprietary Kizimba Business Model that combines land access, extension services, agricultural inputs, technology, and market linkages. Supporting services encompass solar dryer value-addition technology, farm management and consultancy, action research, policy advocacy, and provision of land and facilities for processing.
Product overview
SUGECO operates as a service cooperative offering a comprehensive portfolio of interconnected programs designed to foster youth employability and agribusiness entrepreneurship in Tanzania. The core offerings include the Kizimba Business Model (KBM) - a landmark agricultural development approach - combined with Capacity Building and Training, an International Internship Program, and an Incubation Program. Supporting services encompass Solar Dryer Technology for agricultural value addition, Farm Management and Consultancy, Action Research, Policy Advocacy, and Land and Facilities access. These services work together to provide youth with end-to-end support from skills training and practical experience through to business incubation, market access, and enterprise establishment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Capacity Building and Training Training programs in entrepreneurship, business ecosystem development, network development, and agribusiness skills for youth, graduates, and community members to enhance employability and self-employment.
- Internship Program International internship placements for students and young graduates in agribusiness, placing them in countries such as Israel, USA, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany to build skills and competencies in the agricultural sector.
- Incubation Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 48% increase in farmer incomes
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use sugeco
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
sugeco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
sugeco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Beyond Farming Collective (BFC)coreFive-year program to strengthen agri-food industry organizations (AFIOs) and drive inclusive agricultural transformation. Provides investment funding for scaling Kizimba Business Model.
- Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)coreFounding partner institution providing academic support, research collaboration, and student engagement. SUGECO was established by students and academic staff from the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness (DAEA) at SUA.
- AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa)coreYEFFA project collaboration with AGRA Tanzania funded by MasterCard Foundation. Also partner in AIDI-II project through CIMMYT.
- UNDP TanzaniacoreImplementing partner for flood recovery and resilience projects in Mtwara region and economic empowerment activities in Kigoma region.
- ACDI/VOCAcoreImplementing partner for Feed the Future Tanzania Kilimo Tija Activity (KTA) project managing post-harvest loss technologies and horticultural value chains.
- CIMMYTcorePartner in AIDI-II project for scaling food security technologies to one million households in Tanzania.
- Cuso InternationalcoreLong-term development partner providing support for youth economic empowerment and agricultural programs. Visits conducted at executive level.
- TAPBDs CompanyminorConsortium partner for AIDI-II project implementation in Morogoro, Njombe, and Iringa regions.
- International Trade Centre (ITC)corePartnership for post-harvest management training, market linkage training, and agribusiness support for youth and women entrepreneurs.
- Farm AfricacorePartner in Nutrition Awareness and Cash Crop Value Chain (NACC) project in Gairo and Kilosa districts addressing malnutrition and poverty.
- Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA)minorPartnership for training on marketing and compliance to food standards for MSMEs.
- Government of TanzaniacoreMultiple government partnerships including Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, and local government authorities.
- Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF)minorCoordinator of Youth Economic Empowerment project in Tanga City with Botnar Foundation funding.
- International Potato Center (CIP)minorPartner in Building Nutritious Food Basket (BNFB) project for training on biofortified crops integration in agribusiness.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
sugeco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SNV Netherlands Development Organisation: Large Dutch development organization running youth-employment, agriculture, and agri-business programs in Tanzania. Comparable operating model of donor-funded agricultural capacity building with both extension and value-chain components.
- Solidaridad: International civil society organization running inclusive value-chain and smallholder farmer support programs across Africa. Comparable to SUGECO's integrated value-chain, training, and market-linkage approach.
- Self Help Africa: Irish NGO focused on smallholder agriculture, enterprise development, and youth livelihoods across sub-Saharan Africa, including East Africa. Comparable in combining cooperative-style community engagement with market-linkage and agribusiness training.
- One Acre Fund: Provides smallholder farmer services (inputs, financing, training, market access) across East Africa including Tanzania. Most directly comparable to SUGECO in serving rural smallholders with an integrated service bundle, though with much larger scale.
- TechnoServe: Works across Africa on competitive agribusiness value chains and entrepreneurship programs for smallholders and SMEs, including Tanzania. Closely comparable to SUGECO's combination of incubation, training, and market-linkage services for farmers and entrepreneurs.
- Heifer International: Global nonprofit focused on ending hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture, including livestock and youth programs in East Africa. Comparable model of donor-funded cooperative-style agricultural development with training and incubation layers.
- Farm Africa: UK-based NGO implementing agricultural value-chain and youth-in-agriculture projects in East Africa, and a documented SUGECO partner on the NACC project in Kilosa/Gairo. Highly comparable mission, geography, and target beneficiary profile.
Broad incumbents
- CARE International: Major humanitarian and development organization with longstanding smallholder agriculture, women's economic empowerment, and youth programs in Tanzania. Comparable donor-driven service delivery and target beneficiary profile.
- World Vision Tanzania: Large INGO with extensive Tanzania operations covering livelihoods, youth empowerment, and agricultural development. Competes for similar donor pools and youth-in-agriculture programming space, though with a broader humanitarian scope.
- Mercy Corps: Large INGO with significant youth-in-agriculture and agri-food systems programming in Tanzania and East Africa. Less specialized than SUGECO in cooperative/incubation design but competes for the same donor mandates and smallholder audiences.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
sugeco social profiles
Digital presencesugeco compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
sugeco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
sugeco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
sugeco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
sugeco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about sugeco
What does sugeco do?
SUGECO is a registered cooperative offering an integrated portfolio of agribusiness development services for youth, graduates, and smallholder farmers in Tanzania. Its core offerings include capacity building and training, an international internship program (Israel, USA, Denmark), a business incubation program, and the proprietary Kizimba Business Model that combines land access, extension services, agricultural inputs, technology, and market linkages. Supporting services encompass solar dryer value-addition technology, farm management and consultancy, action research, policy advocacy, and provision of land and facilities for processing.
Is sugeco a public or private company?
sugeco is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was sugeco founded?
sugeco was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is sugeco based?
sugeco is headquartered in Morogoro, Tanzania, in the Africa region.
How does sugeco make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are training and Capacity Building Services, produce Sales and Service Fees and incubation Program Services.
Who are sugeco's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Solidaridad, Self Help Africa, One Acre Fund, TechnoServe, Heifer International and Farm Africa. Broad incumbents are CARE International, World Vision Tanzania and Mercy Corps.
Does sugeco have an API?
No public API is recorded for sugeco.